Monson Developmental Center cleaning laundry for tornado victims

Photo by Lori Stabile / The RepublicanSamantha M. Farquhar, Jamie D. Chaffee, Walter G. Nowak and Shala L. Perry-Moore, from left, pose inside the laundry facility at Monson Developmental Center against a backdrop of newly washed clothes for tornado victims. The facility has been washing the clothes of tornado victims for free, ever since the twister hit town June 1.

They've painstakingly cleaned clothes twisted and filled with wood, nails, glass and grime, picking out unexpected mementos like baby pictures in the process.

Two days after the tornadoes struck the region, causing rampant destruction, the 8-member staff expanded their hours, so they could help people dealing with the aftermath of losing their homes, and most of their belongings.

They are doing their laundry for free, and will take anything - clothes, stuffed animals, rugs, curtains, no matter how soiled it may be. Sometimes, they have to wash the items several times to return them to their previous state.

The laundry has been serving residents from Monson, where several neighborhoods were decimated, and Brimfield, where every road south of Route 20 was impacted.

One of the employees, Debbie Dupre, spent three days cleaning by hand a 16-foot satin wedding gown train that was found wrapped around a telephone pole. It looks almost new, and now its owner can pass it along to her young daughter someday.

Perry-Moore said they have helped 40 families so far, and done "hundreds and hundreds" of laundry loads for the survivors. Seamstress Terry Currie is in charge of mending dolls and stuffed animals.

Perry-Moore said they put the soiled items in a basket so they can shake the glass and wood out, before they load them into the commercial washing machines, and then the dryers.

"It's not just laundry. It's somebody's past and we're holding that for them . . . We can give that back to them," Perry-Moore said.

Facilities Director David M. Serra said they also have donated clothing at the laundry for the tornado victims to take. More clothing is available at Daly Hall. And, he said, they will store the clothing if residents do not have an immediate place to put it.

Some people are using the laundry services daily, they said. Perry-Moore said an elderly couple who lost their home was coming in every day. When they finally got a home to rent, they surprised the staff with chocolates for helping them.

"We'll do it as long as it's necessary," Perry-Moore said about the service.

Perry- Moore said the staff all has a connection to the area, which is one of the reasons they wanted to help those affected by the tornado. Some live in Monson, and narrowly escaped the damage.

"It could have been us," she said.

The items that cannot be salvaged are returned to the families, so they can decide what to do with them. Keepsakes that are found, like photographs, are placed in envelopes for the families to pick up with their laundry.

It's been an emotional process for the staff, but also a rewarding one, as they pick through the damaged items, and find pieces of the victims' lives. Besides baby pictures, they've found school pictures, including some in frames, baseball cards.

"We knew there was going to be a need for this," Serra said about the laundry service.

"One family said we have been a godsend," Perry-Moore said, adding they told her that the money they are saving by using the laundry at Monson Developmental is being used for their children's needs, and gasoline to drive them to school.

"This is what people in the community and employers in the community should do, step up," Serra said.

"We feel really helpful doing it," Perry-Moore said.

Launderer Jamie D. Chaffee said this is a way to help the tornado victims without overwhelming them.

"We know a lot of them. It's been a little tough," Chaffee said.

Serra said anyone who needs laundry picked up or dropped off can call (413) 283-3411, ext. 1387, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The laundry is open Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 6 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Both the laundry and Daly clothes donation hall will be open Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The facility, on State Street, is home to 70 individuals with developmental disabilities.